Walking around an archaeological dig, the ruins of an ancient city on the silk route which was sacked and destroyed by a Mongol horde, I chanced on one of its current inhabitants. The lizard ran across the hard ground and stopped close to me. From where I was I could only see its back. I took a photo for the record (see below). But I’d learnt some time ago that to identify a lizard you also need to take a look at its dewlaps and throat pouch, and, if possible, its underside. So I tiptoed across to one side, making sure that my shadow never came anywhere near it. That part was easy, since the sun was almost directly overhead. I got a side view, which you can see above. In this fuss I forgot to ask whether that shard of pottery that you see here is modern or medieval.
The Family asked “So what is it?” The only answer I had was that it was not a gecko and not a chameleon. It took me a while to search. But fortunately Kazakhstan has fewer lizards than India or Africa. I believe this could be a Small spotted lizard (Mesalina guttulata). That is perhaps not the end of the story. I found a paper which very encouragingly starts by saying “Previous phylogenetic studies have shown the existence of several species complexes within the genus, some of them with high levels of undiscovered diversity.” It then goes on to describe how they identified three previously undiscovered species, in the Arabian gulf alone, which were all mistaken for M. guttulata. So encouraging for us amateurs! There are still enormous undiscovered worlds within ours.
Don't hold your breath 